


Lord, Show Me How to Say No to This

by iamavacado



Series: Some Sanders Sides Stories [18]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda, Hamilton - Miranda (Broadway Cast) RPF, Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Cheating, Dedrick Hamilton, Extortion, Hamilton AU, I Had To, M/M, Remile Reynolds, Remus Reynolds, Roceit - Freeform, Roman Hamilton, Song: Say No To This (Hamilton), Threats, Yelling, affair, but like, cheating on spouse, it might not be good, sanders sides au, this is very first drafty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-31
Updated: 2019-08-31
Packaged: 2020-10-04 03:24:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20464235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamavacado/pseuds/iamavacado
Summary: Deceit gets a letter from a man named Remus Reynolds. The same sounds familiar, somehow, until he figures out that Remus is the husband of the man he had been seeing for weeks--Remy Reynolds.





	Lord, Show Me How to Say No to This

**Author's Note:**

> LET IT BE KNOWN that I know this is ooc. I know it's a little strange to write something like this, but I could not get the idea out of my head. I had to write it! I had to! So read the following.  
Deceit Sanders==Dedrick (alexander)  
Remy Sanders==Remile Reynolds (maria reynolds) ( i wanted to make their names more 1800s sounding)  
Roman (eliza)  
Remus (james reynolds)   
Roman and Remus are NOT related in this universe.
> 
> and now without further adaure---enjoy!

Dedrick closed the door behind him, leaning his body weight against it as he caught his breath. He had to rush back home after meeting with Remile, since Roman would be home soon. He hung his coat on the stand next to his doorway and slid his shoes off his aching feet. He planned to stay at his desk and do some work, but before he stepped forward, he noticed an envelope on the floor, inches from the mail slot. 

He quirked his eyebrow at it, leaning down to pick it up. His name was written on the front. No address, just his name. Odd.

The paper was wrinkled, old, yellowing parchment. As he tore it open, he halfway feared it would crumble away into dust in his hands. But of course, it didn't. Inside was one piece of paper, scribbled on by a messy hand and smudging ink. 

At the top of the letter, it was written, ‘From the home of Remus Reynolds’. Dedrick stopped at that. Remus Reynolds. Why did that name sound familiar? He’d never met a Remus before. Never heard of such a name to begin with. Though, something about it struck him. It drove him to read the letter, hoping something in it would spark a memory.

_From the Home of Remus Reynolds._

_Dear Sir,_

_I hope this letter finds you in good health. I do not wish to dance around the subject, so I will therefore say it bluntly: I realize that, due to the nature of the position you hold in running our Great Nation, you find yourself in no hurry to think about where your next meal would come from, should you be hungry, nor your next coat, should the seam tear in two, nor even your next bed frame, should it shake and rattle until it could no longer hold a body._

Next bed frame. What a strange metaphor, Dedrick thought, as he continued reading. 

_That is why I am contacting you at such a juncture good Sir, since I, as a farmer, do not have access the commodities you find yourself using every day._

Ah. It was a charity case, Dedrick concluded. It was some poor man asking him for money, as poorer men so often did in times of bad luck. He had given a few dollars here and there, but nothing much. More often than not, he directed them elsewhere. As Dedrick continued reading, he figured he’d just write a letter back telling him to do just that. But then he got to the next passage. 

_I am a man with no sons to my name, and therefore run the farm for long hours. I wake early and bed late, with only one solace at the end of a long day: my Husband, Remile._

Remile. Now that was a name he was familiar with. Some would say intimately familiar. 

_So, consider my surprise, when I find, my husband has left me after I come home from a long journey. Consider my bafflement, when I find that my husband, who I provide for, and who I dedicate my life to, has climbed into bed with the likes of you._

Dedrick almost dropped the letter. He almost crushed it in his hands and threw it in the flickering fireplace across the living room. But still, he read the letter, heart speeding up in his chest.

_I was livid, as you could probably guess. After all, could you even imagine YOUR surprise if you had found that your husband had run off on YOU?_

Dedrick swallowed as he thought of Roman, who would surely embrace him with open arms as soon as he entered the house.

_But then, as I assessed my options, I realized there was another way to address the issue. As I mentioned, you are no poor man. Are you?_

Every sentence felt like a gut punch. He knew where this was going. He whispered curses over and over as he read the letter. 

_Of course not. I believe this could be settled. I would be willing to overlook my husband’s past...and future actions, should a small payment be made in my name every quarter. Say, a thousand?_

Dedrick almost choked on his air. A thousand dollars? Yes, he had money, but he was not bathing in it! No way would he humor this man for this amount. Not him. He would not be extorted. 

_I believe that would be enough to quench the mental strain this has caused me. If you agree, this will be the last you hear of me. If not..well. Let's say then, that this would definitely not be the last time you, or your husband, will hear from me._

_You can leave the money in the mail slot,_

_Remus Reynolds._

Dedrick stared down at his signature until his eyes bore through the paper, until he was staring at nothing, until he clenched his eyes shut. Before he even knew what he was doing, he was trampling upstairs and throwing his office door open. He was opening his desk drawer and shoving the letter inside. He was grabbing other papers and piling them on top to conceal the letter as best as possible. He was locking the drawer shut. 

He planted both palms on his desk, taking deep, nervous breaths. As he did so, he stared down at the open book on it, with his quill sitting idle next to it. It was a book he had been studying to help him with his plan. Under it, he could see the corner of parchment paper sticking out. He pulled the paper out and looked at it. It was a letter to Remile. He hadn't finished it yet. 

Instead of finishing it, he crumpled it up until it was the size of a quarter, and he threw it in the small pail next to his desk chair. Dedrick stood there, hands balled into fists, eyebrows drawn together, heart racing in circles. 

How had he found out? Dedrick wondered. They had been so careful. He never visited when Remus was home. And Remile never came over unless Roman was out somewhere. He had only ever delivered letters in person, and they were never seen in public together. According to the people, they didn't even know each other. So how had Remile’s husband known?

As Dedrick stood in the middle of his office, surrounded by books he had already read, it hit him. They must have set this up.

That was the only logical solution. There was no way his relationship with Remile could have been known. Not unless he had told his husband after it had happened. Or, unless they had planned this from the beginning. 

The very thought of it made Dedrick's ears go hot. It made his chest tighten. It made his breaths heavy and angry. How dare they blindside him like this? How dare they set him up? Extort him? Threaten him? Threaten his very livelihood? His husband? His children? His legacy?

No. Absolutely not.

Dedrick rushed downstairs, pushing his shoes back on and snatching his coat on the way out the front door. He left it unlocked so Roman could get inside when he got home. Still, Roman was the furthest thing from his mind.

He was on his way to Remile.

*

When Dedrick finally arrived, he stomped up the Reynolds’ walkway, not even caring to check for any of the telltale signs of Remus being home. He was out of breath, and he could feel the tickle of sweat dripping down the back of his neck. But it didn’t matter. He didn’t care. All that mattered was Remile, and getting to the bottom of this. 

Once he was at the door, he pounded on it with the side of his fist. He pounded until it opened. A small part of him expected-no, hoped-for Remus to answer the door. He couldn't say for sure, but it was a possibility that if he did, Dedrick would punch him in the face. 

But Remus wasn’t home. Remile was the one who answered the door, and Dedrick’s breath was caught in his throat at the sight of him:

He was half dressed. In pajama pants and a wrinkled, unbuttoned night shirt. Dedrick swallowed hard, but it did nothing to press down the anger he felt in his throat at the sight of him. His eyebrows went up when he saw that it was Dedrick, and he stuttered for a few moments before speaking. 

“D-Dedrick, I...I didn’t realize you’d be coming back so soon,” he said. 

“Save it,” said Dedrick, voice clipped and loud. Remile visibly winced at his tone. Dedrick pushed through the door and through Remile, walking into the living room. He looked around at the beaten down farmhouse, sparse furnishings, and threadbare blankets. Again, part of him had hoped that Remus would be inside, sitting on the couch, waiting for Dedrick. But no. It was just Remile. That was all right. Remile would be enough. 

He spun around to see Remile standing near the doorway, picking at his cuticles. He already looked apologetic. “What’s happening?” he asked. 

Dedrick laughed a short, dark, cruel laugh. “Don’t you already know,” he said in a low voice. “Don’t you already know Remile, huh?”

Remile shifted in his feet, wringing his hands together. “I...I don’t--”

“So was your whole story a set up, huh?” Dedrick’s voice raised with every word. He mocked Remile. “‘My husband’s beating me, he left me all alone, I need your help, I can’t go on’. That was all part of it, wasn’t it? Your little act?”

“Dedrick, I don’t--”

He rushed up to Remile, grabbing him by his shoulders. “You’re going to play dumb now, right? Right?”

Remile struggled to pull away, jerking himself free and backing away from Dedrick. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Just tell me what’s going on.”

Part of Dedrick wished he had brought the letter with him, but he would be mortified if anyone else saw it. Even Remile. For all he knew, copies already existed, and if he didn’t give in to Remus’ demands, they’d be strewn around the city. “What’s going on,” Dedrick repeated. “What’s going on is that your husband has written me a letter, saying that if I didn’t pay him a thousand dollars, he would tell my family about us.”

Remile’s eyes widened, and he grabbed at the hem of his shirt. “What?” he asked, breathless. “I don’t--” he shook his head-- “I don’t know about any letter.”

Dedrick was pacing the living room, walking up and down the small space, hand to his forehead, trying to calm the beating in his chest. Trying to calm the tingling of his nerves. “You must have,” he said. “How else could he have found out? How else, Remile, huh?” He whirled around and neared him. Remile backed up, clearly frightened. “You set this up, didn’t you?” he asked, voice raised. “Didn’t you?!”

“No!” Remile ducked away from Dedrick, holding his arms around himself. He stopped in the middle of the living room. “Why would you even say that?”

“Because there’s no other way he would have known!” Dedrick ran a hand through his hair. He tried, but for the life of him, he could not keep his voice down. Each word was pushed out of him. “There is no. Other. Way. You told him.”

“I didn’t.”

“You _told_ him!”

“No I didn’t!” 

“You’re a _liar!”_ Dedrick rushed towards Remile, gesturing wildly. His voice was nearly at a scream now. “You’ve had this set up from the very beginning! Just to get money from me!”

Remile was near tears now. His eyes were shining, and his voice was rising to almost a shriek. “Nothing’s been set up! I swear Dedrick!”

“You’re lying!”

“No, I’m not!” Tears were falling now. Remile almost collapsed onto the couch, head in his hands, sobbing. Dedrick almost rolled his eyes. “I don’t know anything Dedrick, I swear. I swear.”

“I don’t believe you.” Dedrick shoved his fists in his pockets and looked down at Remile as he cried. This had to end now. He was not going to be taken for every penny he had. Especially since he had children to worry about. “I’m going home to my husband. Consider _this--”_ He gestured between them-- “over. If I see you again, I’ll have you prosecuted.”

Dedrick turned around to go out the door, but felt a grip on his arm, pulling him to turn around.

“No!” yelled Remile. He was still crying, and his voice was nasally now, interspersed with shaky breaths.. “No, no. Don’t go. Please don’t go. I didn’t know anything about it, but it doesn’t matter. You don’t have to leave. We can-- we can--”

“We can what? There’s nothing to do.” Dedrick pulled his arm away. “It’s over.”

Remile stood up and grabbed his arm again, this time more desperately. He wrapped his arms around Dedrick’s. “Please, please Dedrick. I- I…”

Dedrick pulled his arm away once again, and Remile sank pathetically to the floor. 

“I love you,” said Remile. 

Dedrick almost laughed. “You have _got_ to be kidding me.”

He looked down at Remile, searching for some kind of joke. But there was nothing. Remile shook his head; his eyes were shining and earnest. He wasn't lying.

“You’ve ruined me,” said Dedrick, voice firm. He pulled away. Even though his gaze lingered on Remile, he forced himself to turn around. Remile loved him? It didn’t matter. It couldn’t matter. He had a husband. He had kids. Under no circumstances could he-- “I am ruined if this gets out. Do you understand that? Do you have any idea?” He walked towards the door. He put his hand on the knob, thinking, over and over, _How could I do this? How could I do this?_

“You can have me all to yourself.” 

Dedrick turned around slowly. “What?”

Remile was standing now. He was wringing his hands together, looking anywhere but in Dedrick’s eyes. “If you...if you pay him. You can have whatever you want.”

“Wh…” Dedrick blinked. He tried to swallow down the lump that formed in his throat, but it did not go away. 

“Whatever you want,” Remile repeated. He stepped forward with slow steps. “Anything.” When he was inches from Dedrick--close enough that he could smell his cologne--he put a hand on the arm that was reaching for the doorknob.

Dedrick spoke slowly, trying to keep his voice steady, trying to look away. “I don't want you,” he said. 

Remile laughed a breathless laugh. “We both know that's not true.”

“I don't want you.”

“You don't?”

“I don't…”

Remile snaked his arms around Dedrick’s waist, pulling him away from the door and leading him towards the couch. “Don't you?” Remile whispered in his ear. 

Dedrick was half heartedly shaking his head no, trying to imagine Roman coming through the door to an empty house. Trying to imagine his children going upstairs to say goodnight to their father, only to find that his bed was empty. Trying to picture the way his wedding ring looked when he first wore it. He looked down at his hand; he wasn’t wearing it now. 

He turned around to face Remile. Looked down at him. Down at his shining brown eyes. At the collar of his nightshirt, folded over, hung open. At his hands, gently grasping Dedrick’s. He looked helpless. This whole situation was helpless. 

“You didn’t set this up?” asked Dedrick. He held Remile’s hands in his, gently rubbing his thumb in circles over the pad of his palm. His voice was quieter now. “This was real?”

Remile nodded, a smile forming on his face. “This is real.” He reached up a hand against Dedrick’s cheek. Dedrick’s eyes fluttered closed at his touch. “I swear.”

Dedrick stared down at Remile. He couldn’t find something to say. Part of him still didn’t believe Remile; part of him still thought that this whole thing was a set up from the beginning. Part of him knew that he needed to get home. He needed to be home with his husband, with his children. 

But there was something in Remile’s face--his innocent, helpless face--that made him want to stay.

Dedrick reached a hand and caressed Remile’s face. His skin was so soft. It reminded him of Roman. But Roman wasn’t here. Remile was here. and Dedrick was here. Just the two of them. Together. 

After a moment, he leaned down, and closed the distance between them, embracing in a long, warm kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> Like i said, I know it's ooc. I felt very dirty writing a character cheating on their spouse, but hey! we all gotta try something new sometimes! Leave a comment?


End file.
